Oscar Piastri jokes that the Ferrari F1 car will start ‘flying’ next after seeing radical rear wing

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Ferrari’s rear wing was perhaps the biggest talking point on the penultimate day of pre-season testing in Bahrain. A McLaren social media video has captured Oscar Piastri’s brilliant reaction.

When Lewis Hamilton first emerged on Thursday, it was immediately clear that Ferrari had pursued a radical direction with their active aero. The wing effectively turned ‘upside-down’ when it was closed.

After a lengthy spell in the garage, Hamilton returned to a more conventional concept for the remainder of the day. But a brief glimpse was still enough to get the entire paddock talking.

The small sample of data suggested that Ferrari had gained 8-10km/h through the innovation. If that’s the case, then it’s likely to return, assuming it doesn’t cost them too much elsewhere in the lap.

Oscar Piastri’s brilliant reaction to Ferrari’s rear wing

McLaren posted a video on Instagram showing Piastri and Charles Leclerc walking into the paddock on Friday morning.

Piastri asked Leclerc if the SF-26 would start ‘flying’ next, and the Monegasque playfully responded with an airplane gesture.

“Is your car going to start flying on the straights today?” quipped Piastri.

• READ MORE: Fred Vasseur is ‘totally dissatisfied’ with Lewis Hamilton over his demands for Ferrari’s handling

A laughing Leclerc replied: “Today we are doing the wings!”

Piastri may have been joking, but his comment does capture the external amazement over the Ferrari wing, one of the most unusual F1 designs seen in years.

One theory is that Ferrari aren’t chasing top speed, but looking for ways to improve energy gathering through the car’s aerodynamics.

Could Ferrari’s ‘upside-down’ rear wing be a ‘ruse’?

Speaking to The Telegraph, former F1 designer Gary Anderson sounded ‘a note of caution’ over the Ferrari rear wing: he isn’t sure if it’s compliant with the rules.

There are rules governing how high and far back the wing can sit, and Ferrari may exceed those parameters during the flipping process.

But Anderson also floats the possibility that the wing is a ‘ruse’ that is supposed to lead their rivals ‘down the wrong development path’.

Given the costs involved, that is unlikely. Even a basic rear wing will leave a £57k hole in the cost cap.